HOT SPRINGS, Ark — This year marks the 98th year of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and with the anniversary comes another year of iconic floats, music, marching bands and color guard.
The Macy’s Great American Marching Band takes around 225 students from across the country, and this year an Arkansas teen made the cut all on her own.
“I was like, oh my god, oh my god, I got in, this is incredible,” Lycci Pan said.
Pan is a senior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA) in Hot Springs. She took her color guard path into her own hands -- now living the opportunity of her dreams.
Hot Springs and New York City are separated by more than 1,200 miles, but at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Pan is right in the big apple.
Pan secured a spot as a member of the flag color guard during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Pan said color guard is her passion, but ASMSA doesn't have a team.
"I remember I would just go out to the school's courtyard and spin my flag,” Pan said.
Before transferring to ASMSA she was on a color guard team, but without one at her current school, she found her own way.
“That's how I stumbled across this Macy's opportunity in the beginning,” Pan said. “I didn't have the opportunity to pursue my passion in the way I wanted at my current school, so I had to find a way to move around that.”
Her dream came with an application process. She was required to record a video with a routine that showcases how you march,, as well as demonstrating different tricks.
Pan was able to put together her routine right on campus.
“It took around a month,” Pan said. “I started by putting random moves together that I've learned over time and then I created one performance in the end.”
A moment she won't forget is the announcement email sent in the middle of her 4th period French class.
“I looked at my phone and I saw congratulations, Macy's,” Pan recalled. “I was literally in shock when I showed my friend, my jaw remained dropped for five minutes.”
Pan is taking in all the sights while in the Big Apple, but the Parade takes practice, with long rehearsal days.
Pan said excited is an understatement. As she takes in this opportunity, she also encouraged Thanksgiving parade hopefuls to take the twirl and take a chance on themselves.
“Just apply either way, because if you don't apply, you'll never know what could happen,” Pan said. “I can't wait to meet a bunch of new people and I'm so incredibly honored to have this opportunity to showcase my passion.”
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began at 7:30 a.m. central time on Nov. 28, 2024.